The people we have helped - Positive Action in Housing

Min Ling

Increasingly we are seeing people granted Limited Leave to Remain with a no recourse to public funds condition. Min Ling, her partner and their daughter had been living in one room of a friend’s home in Glasgow, sharing the kitchen and bathroom for years.

Augustin

Augustin has lived in Glasgow since 2007, working for the first few years but finding it increasingly difficult as his health worsened. He started coming to our drop-ins in 2013 where we helped with range of problems, most stemming from his poor state of health. He was mostly supported by his extended family and his income as a musician, playing accordion in Glasgow.

Len and Karen Abrams, hosting Grace, 36, from Malawi in Caterham, Surrey

For Len, an ordained priest and civil engineer and his librarian wife Karen, the time to act came when the photo of Alan Kurdi—the three-year-old Syrian refugee washed up on Turkish shores—hit the papers.

Gheorghe and Melinda

Gheorghe lives with his wife, Melinda, in Glasgow’s Govanhill.

Florica and Sebastian

Florica and her husband Sebastian have lived in Scotland since 2018. They settled in Govanhill, working and raising their three children.

Kristine

Kristine was forced into debt when her previous employers failed to pay her correctly. The Money Skills Project helped Kristine to re-apply for Universal Credit and cover her debt.

Mohsin

The plight of the Bidoon is a six-decade story of a people denied citizenship and stigmatised in one of the world’s wealthiest states. They are not legally considered Kuwaitis. They are instead a stateless group of people known as the Bidoons – meaning “without” in Arabic or “without citizenship". As Kuwaiti Bedoon, Mohsin, his wife, and three children experienced systemic persecution and discrimination. As a refugee in Scotland, Mohsin encountered difficulty finding work and accessing services and advice. COVID-19 complicated everything, and Mohsin struggled with poor health and debt.

Evelyn

Evelyn came to Positive Action in Housing after fleeing domestic violence. Her ex-partner refused to allow her contact with their infant daughter and, with No Recourse to Public Funds, she was living in a hotel that served as a winter night shelter. She had no friends or family in Scotland that she could turn to for help, no income, and she didn’t know how to find a safe home for herself and her daughter.

Yara

We helped Yara to apply for asylum support and crisis grants. This helped her keep the heating on and continue her ESOL course.

Amira

Amira fled domestic violence and political persecution in Iran at the height of the Lockdown in the UK. Here, she experienced harassment and homelessness. We helped Amira find safe housing and a lawyer.